Preparation and characterization of PEG-assisted growth of colloidal Ag nanoparticles

Colloidal Silver nanoparticles were prepared under mild conditions using poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) in the presence of PVA as surfactant. Ethylene glycol was used as a reducing agent for the preparation of metal particles at room temperature. Ag +1 can be smoothly reduced to silver nanoparticles at ambient condition in PEG 400. UV-visible studies demonstrated that the reducing rate of Ag +1 to nano-Ag was remarkably enhanced with the increased amount of the PEG. The transmission microscope images prove that the reduced Ag nanoparticles were spherical in shape. The pathway described here was considered as a green route for preparation of silver nanoparticles.